Praise
by Wahyah
Summary: A world filled with marvelous creatures that spark curiosity to unbeknowing mortals. Wars separate loved ones and destroy lives. It takes a special person to make it safely and survive without death from the elements. AU Rated M for language, gore, and suggestive themes.
1. Prologue

"It's cold…"

"It's always cold."

"I'm hungry…"

"I am too."

"I wanna go home…"

"…"

Her feet were blistered from the ungodly tundra, and the vast sea of grey and white was making her nauseous from near snow blindness. Her arms were sore from carrying her seven year old brother mile after mile, their eyes swollen from countless tears and heartache - but if you asked them the real reason, they would say it is from the wind.

It really doesn't take long for everything you have to be destroyed.

There weren't any others.

There wasn't more family awaiting them.

All there was left was... nothing.

However, even nothing is still something. It was her philosophy after all, and she would be a hypocrite if she said otherwise. Her only reason to not give up was the hope that there was _something_ just a few more steps ahead; one more mile, or one more day's travel, to reach some form of sanctuary.

"I want mama…"

The wind was so loud she barely heard her brother, even when he was so close.

Sakura could not help but ignore what her brother said. She missed them too, but they were dead. They were not coming back, they were not waiting for them at the end of the journey, and they sure as hell weren't there to help them. They were gone. That's all there was to say about that, but she couldn't even bring herself to tell her brother that. Even she knew that would be too harsh, and even then, he probably wouldn't understand what death is, yet.

They had a little food, but hardly enough for a teenager and a child. Some dried deer meet and a little bread that would last about three days, if they're lucky. There was plenty of "water" but she knew that eating snow would cause more problems than they need - blisters in their mouths, a drop in body temperature, and many worse things that could, or would, resolve in death.

As she hit upon the thought of dropping temperature once again, she realized that it was getting late. The tundra was unforgiving, but even more so if you were unlucky enough to be outside in it after dark.

Quickly, she dropped on her knees and began to dig in the snow. Her uncovered hands were sticking to the ice crystals that clung unto the top of the snow, and if she did not hurry, her palms would begin to bleed and make it even harder than it needed to be. Her brother understood the importance of shelter and began to dig alongside her.

"Sak'ra, maybe we should build an igloo." He halfheartedly joked.

Taking it seriously, Sakura gave her brother a stern look, "Not enough time, Kizashi."

The wind had picked up even more by now, and the snow drift around them was making the temperature drop dramatically. The burrow was small, but it was enough to fit both of them inside snugly. Soon enough, the hole entering the burrow would close, blocked from the drifting snow, and would entrap their body heat inside. It wouldn't be extremely warm, but it would be enough to keep them alive, and from falling into hypothermia.

The wind howled and screamed, but was muffled a decent amount; enough, at least, where it wouldn't keep them from getting much needed rest. Sakura reached in her parka and pulled out a few pieces of near-frozen meat.

"Here." She nudged the food to her brother, who took it greedily. Sakura chose not to eat, to try to conserve some food. She knew it was a risky move, but it was still in the hope that there was a place of shelter or sanctuary somewhere near.

After Kizashi finished eating, he drifted into sleep, but Sakura stayed awake lying next to him. She flinched when she heard the cry of something in the distance, holding her breath and anxiously waiting for the sound to go away.

_A mountain lion perhaps? Although, I've never heard any lion that sounded like that.._

After the sound died away, she allowed herself to calm down, and succumbed to a dreamless sleep filled with the shrieks of the unknown.


	2. Acceptance

**Chapter one here of the story. I can't wait for more hits and responses. As I normally do, I put translations of words at the end of the chapter as there is use of Draconic in this story. Anyways, happy reading and please leave a response of Yay or Nay on this story, please and thank you. - Wahyah**

* * *

Sakura's wakeup was not the most glorious ever.

Sounds of digging were coming from the entrance of the burrow. Sakura reached for her dagger and aimed it towards the sounds, waiting for the creature to push its head inside.

"What'cha find, boy?" A husky male voice said, right above Sakura's den. If they were standing on it, it was a wonder the snow hadn't caved in yet.

A white dog's face appeared in the snow, barking again. Sakura cringed a little at the acrid smell of the dog's breath; it made an even worse move - it licked her face.

She pushed its face to away and her brother, who had woken at the noise, began laughing.

She growled a bit in embarrassment, and crawled out of the burrow. Once she got to her feet, she heard a wolf call and snapped her head towards the sound.

Standing before her was boy no older than her, sporting a rather large parka. He had tribal markings on his face, but of what tribe or clan he belonged to, she could not tell.

"Well, what a find, Akamaru." He grinned wolfishly, revealing unusually sharp teeth. "Name's Kiba, and I'm not going to harm you. I can lead you to my clan for shelter from this cold, if you'd like." His abnormally large dog barked in good spirit.

Sakura didn't feel so easy at trusting someone she had just met, especially when she had to look out for her brother's wellbeing as well. "Kizashi, come on out." She said, not turning her head from the man.

Her brother quickly crawled from the burrow and grinned from ear to ear when he saw the dog. In response, the dog wagged its tail, swishing some of the snow a bit. The dog padded over to her brother; Sakura felt a bit nervous at this, considering the dog was almost taller than her brother. Despite her mother-hen instincts telling her to grab him, the dog licked his face and pawed at him gently.

"He's no harm; he's more of a big teddy bear in all reality." Kiba chuckled.

Sakura eased up a bit, "I guess you're right. Sorry for being a bit rude earlier, but I expected something worse. My name's Sakura." She held out her hand for him to shake.

He took it and shook it gently. "My home's not too far away from here; our clan was going to moved spots soon, so I guess if it weren't for Akamaru running off, we would not have come across you guys at all."

"Well, I guess I have Akamaru to thank as well." Sakura chimed.

Sakura turned around to see her brother on the dog's back, practically riding it. She gave Kiba an unsure glance.

He snorted again with laughter, "He carries me sometimes, so I'm sure your brother is no problem to the big lug. So how about we get going before we burn the daylight out, hm?"

Sakura smiled and followed him closely, feeling a bit of safety for the first time in weeks.

* * *

By the time they had reached his clan's camp, it was midday, and Sakura was ravenous. She remembered that she had not eaten last night and was now suffering for it. Her stomach growled loudly enough to make Akamaru's head turned with a look reminiscent of concern on it's face. Kiba, on the other hand, reached in his pocket and, pulling out what looked like fish, offered it to her.

She took it without question and tried to not scarf it down in one bite. "Thank you, but if you don't mind me asking, how do you have fish?"

"It's a trick most ice clans know; judging by your clothing, you're a forest clan, right?" He asked curiously.

She nodded, and he continued to answer her question, "Well, there are some lakes nearby, and we carve a hole in the ice to fish out of. Simple enough, really."

Sakura was impressed with this knowledge - in the forest, it never really got cold enough to freeze the water, but it did snow quite a bit, though it would usually melt a few days afterwards. Her disposition changed at the reminder of the forest.

"Hm? What is it?" Kiba inquired.

"The forest…" Sakura began, and tried to stifle a sob, "Much of it is gone now."

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked, alarmed.

"The forest clans were attacked by the sea clans. None of us were prepared, and most of the clans are gone now. I and my brother are the last of the Haruno clan." She finished, wiping a tear that had escaped from her eyes.

"The sea clans? They normally don't attack anyone without a good reason for it." Kiba noted, speaking more so to himself than her.

"That's what's so bizarre about it. It was spontaneous, not to mention quick." Sakura began to earnestly try recollecting her memories of that night.

"Do you think magic was involved?" Kiba asked, turning his head towards her with concern evident on his face.

"Possibly. I knew very little of magic -I was still an apprentice at the time." Sakura bowed her head a little, knowing she was still very unskilled - she felt she made up for it, knowing how to wield a sword.

"Really now? What kind of magic can you do?" Kiba asked, raising an eyebrow and grinning a bit as he asked.

She nodded and held out her palm, _"nixeu."_

As she spoke the ancient word, a small flame appeared in the palm of her hand, but disappeared a moment afterwards. She sighed with a hint of frustration, "Unfortunately, I can't hold onto any spell long enough to do anything with it."

"That's likely because you're saying _spark_, not _fire_, but just as well, it might be too much for an apprentice to work with. Delving too much into magic could kill you if you aren't mentally, physically, and spiritually ready." Kiba said, looking apologetically at Sakura while hoping he didn't go too far.

Instead she snickered, "You sound like my father. I'm quite aware of what I am - and am not - capable of."

As they entered the center of the village, Sakura took a look at her surroundings. There was large bonfire in the center of the camp, with a patch of grass surrounding it where the snow had melted; there were a fair amount of people standing around it, staring at her.

Sakura gulped feeling a bit uneasy. She looked at her brother, who had fallen asleep on the back of Akamaru.

_No wonder he was so quiet…_

She scowled a little and looked at Kiba, her fear clearly showing on her face.

"Kiba, who is this?" A woman demanded; she looked to be a little older than Kiba, her black hair long and a bit shaggy.

"They were out in the middle of the tundra. Akamaru found them, and I couldn't leave them to freeze." He explained.

"You know better to bring here those who not from within this clan - and what's worse, they are surely not of any ice clan." The woman was getting angrier by the moment.

Kiba smirked, "Ah, but she has some news that we all need to hear. Go ahead and tell them about the forest, Sakura."

Sakura was a bit agitated that she had now been thrown in the lion's den, but she cleared her throat. After she had explained what had happened to the forest and the clans that used to dwell in it, an older man stood up. His tribal marks were faded along with his age, and his eyes seemed sightless.

"Destroyed, you say?" His voice crackling and shaky.

"Yes, sir." Sakura said; she felt a bit self-conscious, worried about nodding if he was actually blind.

"But that should bring no danger to us; we're a moon's travel from the forest." The woman barked.

"Sis, why don't you just shut your trap." Kiba challenged.

"Why don't you make me?" She challenged back, bowing up towards him.

Kiba and his sister were now face to face, and Sakura was witnessing a new level in sibling rivalry.

"Hana and Kiba, by the gods, if you two don't sit down and shut up, I'm going to show you a whole new meaning of life." The elder man bellowed.

Sakura did what she could to keep from snickering; it seemed things were not going to be as harsh as she imagined earlier. Although, she still felt a sense of unwelcome here.

The man cleared his throat. "I apologize on their behalf, and under the circumstances, we wish for you to stay until the harshest part of winter is over."

"That would be wonderful, thank you." Sakura smiled, all feelings of fear fading away.

* * *

Later that night, she was ushered into a tent that was set for her and her brother. They were happy, feeling warm after finally having eaten a meal decent enough for people their age - for any age. Their bedrolls were made up buckskin, and she rejoiced that for the first time in a moon that she and her brother would not have to dig in the snow for shelter, that they wouldn't have to scavenge carcasses for edible meat, that they wouldn't have to worry about a wolf or a troll finding them, and undoubtedly killing them both.

"Sakura, can we get a doggy?" Kizashi asked with a gleam in his eye.

"We have no money, Kizashi." Sakura sat down on her floor of the tent, taking her dagger out of her belt.

"When we have money?" He asked, nearly begging.

"Maybe." Sakura smiled and ruffled up his messy blonde hair.

Kizashi quietly lied down in his bedroll, and almost instantly went to sleep.

"How can you be so tired when you practically slept all day…" Sakura mumbled.

She unsheathed her dagger, scowling at how dull it actually was. She ran her thumb over it; it didn't even feel like it could give a cut if you hit someone with it full force. She would have to ask to use a sharpening stone or something of the like in the morning if they were still hospitable.

The Inuzaka clan members were not the most gracious and gentle hosts, but they were kind enough to let her and her brother listen to their stories and eat, and that was enough for the time being. She would have to wake up early the next morning; they had spoke of packing up and moving camp to another part of their territory; something about the hunting not being as bountiful this season.

She was unsure on how exactly they would move camps, considering she did not see any horses around. When she was younger, she had heard stories of ice clans using their dogs to carry things, but how, she could not fathom. Then again, she_ did_ see a 5 stone dog carry her seven year old brother half a day's journey like he weighed nothing.

This really wouldn't be so surprising to the girl, having seen stranger things often enough. When she was younger, she had seen a winged beast in the air that resembled a lion. Her father had brought it down, and turned its talons into a necklace. She now wished she had gotten that necklace, realizing that there was nothing to remember her parents by.

It was hard enough knowing they were gone, but she made it worse by reminding herself of the fact almost every waking moment. But, she couldn't be blamed for wishing the outcome had been different; it was too late for all of that.

She had more important things to worry about. Her boots were beginning to fall apart and her parka was tattered. She was amazed it had lasted this long with all the hell it had been through. Perhaps that boy finding her was a good sign; perhaps things were going to get better. The problem was, deep in her heart, she knew that things almost always got worse before they got better.

* * *

Nixeu: Spark


	3. Nixeu

Packing up the camp had been easier than Sakura had thought. It was interesting to see the clan roll most of their belongings into large bundles and then strap it behind a team of dogs. The dogs made travel quicker, but it made Sakura suspicious as to why they were in such a hurry.

She scolded herself at that thought; she was a guest, and they were nice enough to let her and Kizashi come alone on the trip. By gods, they even gave them both new clothes. Those were given by an elderly woman whose eyes had yellowed; in all honesty, it was rather unnerving. The ice clan customs were much different than those of the forest.

She traveled near the rear of the group, enjoying the feeling of being safe. Kiba had stopped up ahead, letting Sakura catch up.

"How's the weather back there?" He mused, nudging her elbow.

"Oh, it is fair weather back here. Nice enough to go for a swim soon." She teased back. It was nice to have someone her age to talk to.

"Akamaru really likes your brother." Kiba smiled, pointing up ahead at her brother galloping along on the dog.

"Well, we only had a few dogs in my clan site, and they were... you know... normal sized." Sakura smiled back. "Although... I'm curious, where are we headed, really?" She asked, looking ahead and seeing a few mountains in the distance.

"Past the mountain into the Menel plains; but of course there's still a ton of snow." Kiba explained.

"But we're going farther north. Hunting doesn't get much better the farther north you travel." She argued.

"Whoa, no need to get feisty - although I kind of like it. I have no say in the matter - but hey, in any case, I agree with you." He nudged her again.

Sakura calmed herself. She needed to keep her temper in check; she was still treading on thin ice with the tribe.

"Are there any other clans that we'll be meeting?" She asked curiously.

"Some." He finished, seeming to grow bored with the conversation.

Sakura assumed he was just someone with a short attention span, but, thinking it best, kept that particular opinion to herself.

A loud roar broke through the sky, and everyone's attention jumped to the heavens above.

Sakura looked skyward, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Wings stretched from its sides, reaching further than three people standing side by side. A tail, tipped with a wicked barb, hung beneath it. A great shaggy mane of fur encircled the beast's head. As it turned and dipped to land, one word jumped forward in Sakura's mind.

_Manticore._

She had heard of them before, stories spoken in fear from survivors of attacks. A chimeric mix of lion, eagle, and scorpion, the beast could rip unwary travelers apart into shreds, or sting them, leaving them to a slow death while it waited.

The manticore touched down softly, silently, its hollow bones belying the strength behind its claws. It twisted to face the clan, a snarl on its muzzle. A single cry rose from a young one in the group, then quickly, the clan sprang into action. While those who were too young, old, or weak to fight drew the small children back, those more ready to fight pulled weapons from one of the topmost packs on the _bundle._

_They were ready for this. _Thought Sakura. _At least, I hope they were._

Stepping forward, to men with spears pushed towards the beast, driving it backwards towards the edge of the path. It roared, swiping at the men, before jumping back from the weapons. Sneaking behind it, four other holding great ropes suddenly jumped back, pulling it taut against the tree. Roaring, it struggled vainly against the cables, as the two with spears advanced on it.

Stepping over to check on Kizashi, she found him hiding behind Kiba, holding him for reassurance. Sakura thought Kiba looked almost...bored. Moving closer, she decided to try and phrase her question as nonchalantly as possible.

"Well this is interesting, isn't it?" Sakura asked.

"Oh yes, but nothing they can't handle." Kiba replied.

"Mmhmm. I was wondering though... I mean... It's almost as if they were expecting this! I mean, how dangerous will this movement be?" She asked, worried.

"Oh no, it won't be very rough. Beasts like this that attack clans traveling in the winter tend to be sickly or hungering. Most likely, this one isn't nearly as strong as most." He said.

"I hope so. It is ver-"

The beast, appearing to have tired, had slowed its straining. As the hunters began attacking it though, it had suddenly launched forward with renewed strength, slashing one of the men before jumping up into the sky, coming to land partially in a nearby pond. As it crawled out, it began shivering; Sakura could see its landing was unintentional, and that the cold water, combined with the air, was taking its toll on the beast. As the clan rushed to protect the wounded man, Sakura had an idea. Stepping forward, she reached out towards the manticore and nearly shouted, _"nixeu."_

Nothing showed at first. But then, after a few tense seconds, the beast slowed its shivering. Focusing her energy, Sakura glared at the manticore, willing the heat to take its toll before the beast recovered. At one moment, it seemed to only help it, as it slowly drew to its feet. but then it swayed, turned, and began trying to move towards the water, before it collapsed, wisps of smoke curling off of its fur. Panting, it suddenly let off a great pained noise, as its coat caught fire. With a snapping sound that echoed for a time after, its cold-brittled, hollow bones swelled, expanded, and shattered from the sudden pressure, driving fragments into its vital parts. With a last moan of pain, the great beast slumped, dead.

Hana gawked at the sight, feeling embarrassed that she had been outdone by an outlander. One who seemed about five summers younger no less. She bared her teeth in a snarl, but held her tongue; no sense in getting upset over a sapling that would not be around much longer once the season is over.

Kiba whistled, drawing everyone's undivided attention. "Well. I underestimated you Sakura. I'll remember poor Manty here next time you get angry."

"Have you ever even seen this creature before?" Inquired one of the village elders.

"I've seen one like it. Although, the one I had seen looked more like an eagle than anything else." Sakura admitted.

"A griffin." Kiba barked.

"Excuse me?" Sakura asked.

"It was a griffin. Could be a useful guard if you find an egg first and raise it, but when raised in the wild, it has a taste for death." Kiba finished.

"Malina, would you please bless the creature, and allow this young woman to claim her claws from the beast?" A clan member she had met last night asked the old woman with the yellow eyes.

_Malina, huh? Well if it's elf for yellow, it fits_. Sakura concluded

Kizashi came running to Sakura full tilt with fear written across his face.

"Please don't do that again." Kizashi sobbed, pulling himself up against her.

Sakura picked up her brother and hugged him, "I got rid of him is all. No need to be afraid."

"But it could have killed you…I don't want to lose my sister…" He protested.

"Trust me, I'm going to try and avoid any more creatures." She faced the group, "Where are we going to camp for the night?"

"There is a town up ahead that out tribe is acquainted with, but most of the residents are…less than human." Kiba answered.

Sakura laughed, "What? Are they Elves or Khajiit?"

Nobody laughed, simply staring at her as if she had sprites coming out of her ears.

She cleared her throat awkwardly, setting her brother back down on the ground and avoiding the stares of the group.

"Although, there are some dangers in the town; it's not really safe for humans, so it's best to keep to ourselves, rent out an inn, and leave immediately the next day." Malina said as she finished the blessing. She strode over to Sakura and mumbled something she could not understand.

_"Ekess nomeno vrak svaust guyyai wer gixic di vi fueryon jennuilt loupon sthyr."_ Malina spoke, invoking the long-antiquated dragon tongue, and presented Sakura a necklace made of the manticore claws. "Do not trouble yourself of the town. As for the necklace... Fray from spilling blood of the innocent, or the charm will wear."

* * *

**Thanks for the read as always my loves. -Wahyah  
****_Ekess nomeno vrak svaust guyyai wer gixic di vi fueryon jennuilt loupon sthyr(draconic)_****: to this child who bears the claws of a beast greater than man  
**_  
__**Malina(Elf): Yellow**_

What is a manticore?  
A mythical creature, more of a Persian myth, that has the body of a lion, tail of a scorpion, and wings of a dragon. The tail supposedly had poison in it to kill it's victims slowly. The lion's teeth were three rows of sharp shark-like teeth. In some cultures the manticore actually has the head of a man, but in this story it's a lion.


	4. Sove

**Yo! I'm actually really liking what I have planned out for this story, and there's no specific day I'll be updating. But I hope you guys like this chapter and, as always, thanks for the read. Please do leave a review so I know what I'm doing wrong, if I need to clarify anything, or if you see something. Thank you! ~ Wahyah**

* * *

"So you mean to tell me that they're harmless?" Sakura whispered to Kiba later on, as they walked into the town.

He swiftly shushed her, "They have better hearing than you or I."

"Mhmmm, yes, ve do." A humanoid cat appeared directly in front. It's bright yellow eyes became narrow slits as it peered at them. "V'at business do you have here in Al-Esh?"

Malina stood up taller, facing the Khajiit, "We are here to purchase supplies, perhaps visit a blacksmith, and we will be on our way."

The khajiit stared at her, flicking his tail side to side, and pondering on a decision. "Very vell… humans are not... Mmm... Permitted, here; but I see you are mixed, yes?" He purred his question slowly.

Malina said nothing, simply nodded.

Sakura then felt utterly and totally confused. _Not completely human?_

The khajiit pinned his ears back and nodded back, as a sign of acknowledgement. "You have one that is it not….hmmm…of us?" he turned, facing Sakura. His nose twitched and he cocked his head to the side, much like a young puppy would do, when trying to figure out why something works. "Interesting…"

"What is interesting?" Sakura asked, slightly worried of being a possible target for attack, or for being kicked out of the town.

He chuckled and shrugged, "I do not know. You simply...are."

Malina growled lowly, "It is rude to ignore one in conversation, and even more so to avoid a question. What is your name?"

He hissed at her remark, "My name, or the name I go by? If you inquire my spiritual name, you need to seek it elsewhere." He cleared his throat, "You may call me Avec."

Malina snorted in victory, "Good enough; now, if you would please leave us be, _Avec._" She sneered his name.

"Vith pleasure, _mutt_." He fired back, stepping aside.

When they had taken a few comforting steps away from Avec, Sakura looked up to Kiba. "So, not human, huh?"

Kiba shrugged, "You were bound to find out sooner or later."

"That you're like, dogs or something?" Sakura grew more curious.

"Eh, not exactly. We take pride in our canine friends, but we only get the ears, eyes, and teeth when we're angry enough." Kiba answered.

"Sounds... Interesting." Sakura said, stifling a laugh.

"What's so funny? You're not all human either." Kiba replied, smugly.

"Nobody really is, are they?" Sakura said.

"True, but you seem human enough. Do you know what else?" Kiba inquired.

Sakura just shrugged.

* * *

The tribe's plans did not go as cleanly or as perfectly as they would have liked. Their initial intention was to find a place to stay for the night, but their welcome had already been worn thin the moment they arrived. Khajiit didn't take to kindly to dogs, nor to any_ half breed_, as they had been called while they walked through the town.

"I hate this damned town." Hana muttered, as she angrily moved a strand of hair behind her ear.

"They don't seem to have taken too kindly to us, either." Kiba said nonchalantly.

Sakura was in awe at the people of the town, and even more so at the culture. The children looked mostly the same as the adults, and, somewhat unsurprisingly in retrospect, there were no signs of any dogs in the village. There were a few cattle mulling around, and some salmon smoking over some fires.

_Not really so much different than us._ Sakura thought to herself.

The clan had soon finished obtaining supplies, and had been hurriedly "escorted" out of the town. Not that it really affect them much - they were just as happy at the thought of leaving as the locals. As far as Sakura could tell, the quicker the clan got out of the town, the better; considering her newfound knowledge that she was practically traveling with a pack of dogs, lingering in a town full of cats was as smart as brushing her hair with a burning torch.

The clan _had_ treated her and her brother well, for outcasts. They had clothed them, fed them, and taken them in. She was just worried what would happen when the spring came.

_Does Spring even come in the North_? She wondered.

She had never heard of anything glorious in the North; then again, nobody ever heard much anything from the North. The forest was too much of a suspicious group, rarely tolerating visitors. She was agitated at the realization of her ignorance. But, no matter how she looked at this, it was pure luck that she and her brother were alive right now. Perhaps she could ask Malina if she knew any magic, to pass the time and grow the bond between the two; of course it might wear out her welcome that much faster, if she hadn't already done so.

The group stopped a few leagues from the town, enough for the lights to be a blur just barely visible in the distance, and close enough they could rush back to it if something were to happen. They had planned to set up camp for the night here and continue to move. The mountains were in view, but even at the great distance they were from them, they still looked enormous. Sakura began to hope the animals they might find there weren't at the same scale as the mountains.

Kiba came over to side of the fire where Sakura was resting and sat cross-legged beside her.

"Nice necklace there, o'mighty one." Kiba teased.

Sakura remembered that he was talking about the claws, "Well, at least they're sharper than you, in several ways - intellect AND insults." Sakura teased back.

"Oooh touché. Score one for the young lady." Kiba smiled.

Kizashi was playing with Akamaru on the other side of her, and she began to notice more people were sitting by the fire without so much as a strange glance her way. They might finally have accepted that she was here to stay for the time being and gotten over it. Malina appeared to be in a position of leadership, and Sakura was sure that the clan members wouldn't dare challenge her decisions.

"Ah, speaking of which, Jeod has something to give you. As a thanks for... well, pretty much saving his skin today." Kiba spoke up.

Sakura turned her head in confusion, but Kiba said no more and gestured for her to follow him. He led her across to a brightly lit tent, sounds of whimpering floating out from inside.

As they entered the tent, her eye were drawn to a tall, muscular man with cut-off sleeves, sitting cross-legged and smoking a dark, wooden pipe. "Ah, you are the girl that saved me and my little ones today." He said, stroking his beard.

"Oh, it was nothing. I'm glad you and your children are safe." Sakura said.

The man chuckled. Sakura's ears felt warm with embarrassment.

"They're not exactly children, miss." He continued chuckling as he reached behind a curtain. pulling out a chubby, fluffy, odd looking dog. "He is a special breed; only two are born in each litter and the mother can only have one litter her entire life. I am giving him to you as a gift for saving me and the mother."

"You- you're giving me something so special?" Sakura asked awestruck.

"These dogs have only one master; he has chosen you." He noted as the ball of fur waddled over to Sakura, slowly wagging his tail. "Once you give him a name, a special bond with be created between you two, and he will serve you for all of his days."

Sakura knelt down and picked up the dog, feeling protective of the small animal. His fur was black as night but his left ear was as white as new cloth. She was honored to be given such a creature, and having been told of how special this dog was, she wanted to give him an honorable name. "...Sove." She decided.

Jeod blew a puff of smoke from the corner of his mouth, and his pipe glowed a strange color. "Now listen closely. He may be young, but he will still know your link with him."

_I like you. _

Sakura quickly turned her head, looking around for the source of the voice. It was almost child-like, and very distinctive. She looked at Sove and he licked her face lovingly. "Did he-?"

Kiba grinned, almost wolfishly. "Yes. Of course, I could hear him too, if I wanted to communicate with him, but he is yours. He hears you, obeys you…" Kiba took notice of Sove still licking Sakura's face, "...and loves you unconditionally. Kizashi will likely be pleased as well."

"Yes; he _was_ asking for a puppy." Sakura smiled, bowing to the man. "Thank you."

He dismissed her, "No, thank you, Sakura."

* * *

**Sove: "Soves" is the actual word in Draconic, but even though it messes with the meaning, I took off the "s" at the end. "Guide" is the words meaning. **


	5. The Bastard and the Dragon

**Been a lazy week-end so I had a moment to chill and write with my partner, who if he had it his way he'd write this entire story full of lemons. Anyhow, quite a bit going on here, so let me know if I need to clarify, fix, or explain anything better. As always, thank you for the read and please review! ~Wahyah**

* * *

Sakura awoke the next morning to squeals coming from inside the tent. Instinctively, she jumped to her feet, her dagger drawn, and darted out to look for the source of the noise. She breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that it was Kizashi waking and seeing Sove.

"Is he ours? Is he ours?" Kizashi asked excitedly.

"Mhmmm…" Sakura tiredly mumbled. "His name is Sove."  
As she said his name she felt thumping against her arm. Looking down, she saw Sove was wagging his tail in his sleep. She stretched her body upwards; dawn had not yet broken, but the sky to the East was grey-tinged orange. The clan would soon begin to stir and prepare to get on the move. She reached in her bag and pulled out a piece of meat, feeding it to Sove who took it hungrily.

"Come on Kizashi, it'll be time to go soon." Sakura yawned.

By the time noon arrived, they had already traveled a few leagues. The mountains now towered over them, reaching up into the clouds. Sakura stayed close to Kiba, and held Sove in her arms as he napped.

"So please tell me that there isn't anything... You know... Dangerous through these mountains." Sakura near pleaded.

"Nah, not usually. We will be making a stop in a friendlier mountain city soon, actually. We have good connections there, and Malina has decided that we will stay there for the duration of the storm." Kiba said.

"Storm? What storm?" Sakura was befuddled by the news.

Kiba grinned, "Oh, you'll see. Malina has a way of knowing things she shouldn't yet."

Sakura shivered. She admired Malina's authority, but she was getting a bit creeped out by her. Perhaps she was something more than what met the eye; Sakura, thinking about it, realized she should have learned that lesson long before.  
She scowled. She was tired of learning so many obvious things long after others, like a small child.

With each step Sakura took, the snow got heavier, and the trail rose higher into the mountain. The wind began to blow harder, and Sakura realized that Malina might have been right about the coming storm.

"How far is this city?" Sakura grumbled. She was beginning to hate anything and everything about the cold. Her longing for the forest was stronger than ever before now. Instinctively, she held Sove closer and looked around for Kizashi. Her brother seemed unphased by the cold, and was on the back of Akamaru, staring into the mountains.

"A few more leagues…" Kiba said in between teeth chattering.  
Sakura turned her head to the rear of the group and saw Hana walking with her, seemingly speaking with it. If one hadn't know of the Inuzaka clan ability, they might think she was crazy. Hell, Sakura still thought Hana might be a bit crazy still.

_Could be worse. What do you think, Sove? _Sakura had learned that she and Sove could speak telepathically, just as easily as if she was speaking to him directly, and figured it might seem more sane if she wasn't talking to a dog openly and pretending it was responding back.

_Not so bad really._ Sove agreed, snorting as a snowflake landed on his nose. Sakura giggled; it was like seeing a ball of fluff with eyes sneezing.

The clan had traveled the trail until dusk, finally reaching the city just before the storm really kicked in. If one hadn't been paying attention, they would've walked right past the gates and would have never known.  
The city was located in the mountainside, resting in a natural cavern. The guards posted outside were human, and were almost eager to let the clan inside. The gates were made of aged oak, faded so from the weather and from time that they blended in with the stone of the mountain.

As they traveled through the cavern, Sakura took notice that the tunnel had been skillfully dug with precision, and gems gleamed in the walls.

"Be warned, Sakura, there are gremlins about here; they'll snatch anything shiny that you have out in the open." Kiba warned.

"Explains the gems along the walls." Sakura commented.

A light dimly glowed at the end of the tunnel, and as they walked through the opening, Sakura gasped.  
Spread out before her, past the edge of a massive staircase, was great city, seemingly carved from the stone of the cave. Moss creeped along the top and sides of the smaller houses nestled deeper in the shadows, while the largest ones, gleaming high on hills and mounds, were made of smoothly polished stone, gemstones studded across their fronts. Looking upwards, Sakura saw that the ceiling was far above her head, and dotted with massive, brightly glowing stones, providing much of the light for the cavern city. Looking from one wall to the other, she realized she could pick out those areas which people lived from the ones where business was conducted by the colour of the stone used; with a start, she realized they must have carved the rock with that specific purpose in mind, to keep it so well defined.

But more than all of this, what really caught Sakura's attention were the /people/. Flowing through the streets were humans, Dwarves, and Gremlins, all making their way towards there destinations. While often they would stop to talk with each other, they all generally moved with a purpose, as though they all knew where they needed to be. Merchants hawked their wares to passersby, while stout workers moved goods from one building to another. As Sakura watched, a young man with black hair roughly pushed his way past her, angrily muttering an apology as he moved on. Frowning his way, she turned her attention back to the city.

Kiba walked up next to her, he too looking at the movement. "A beautiful place, isn't it?" he asked.

"It is... I've never seen something like this before. And yet..." Sakura replied, hesitantly.

"Yes?" He asked.

"It feels almost... Nostalgic, I guess. This tight-knit place...it's all but the twin of a small forest village I lived in for a while." She said, quietly.

"Really? Meline Plains are fairly close. There are many here who the clan consider family, as it is. We stop in whenever we travel through this are-" Kiba began.

Of in the distance, a great, bellowing roar echoed through the city. People quickly began running, some towards the noise, others away, others still simply going on their way, as if the sound was not unusual. The guards standing to either side of the gate Sakura stood at looked at each other, then, giving a sigh of exasperation, one began running towards the commotion. With a look of apprehension to Kiba, Sakura began walking towards the source of the sound.

As they approached the sounds, two things became evident. One, there was a younger boy with ridiculous spiky blonde hair franticly flailing his arms about, wearing a jumpsuit in the most gods-awful shade of orange. In his excitement and panic, he tripped over a small stone that was in his path, hitting the ground hard. Second, and more alarming, there was a fairly small dragon watching the blond boy's every move, snapping at him every time he got close to the its mouth. Sakura was more impressed by the dragon than the scene itself; its green scales shone like smooth gemstones in the pale moonlight. Instead of the spikes she expected to run down its back, there was a strip of fur, giving it the appearance it had a long mohawk, all the way down to its tail. Sakura didn't notice the wings at first, as they were tucked closely by the dragon's sides.

Sakura looked up at Kiba for some clue as to what was going on, but instead of the face of worry, it was red as blood trying to contain his laughter. It built up, growing darker red, until he burst out, howling with laughter.

"Great going, Naruto. Sasuke's _really_ going to kick your ass this time." Kiba yelled between fits of laughter. Sakura was beginning to think he was going insane with the laughter; soon, Kiba fell to his knees, banging his hand on the ground.

Franticly Naruto tried to put its hands up to the dragon, as if trying to quiet it that same moment, a raven-haired boy shoved his way into the situation; instead of going right towards the dragon, he went for Naruto.

Grabbing him by the scruff of his neck, he faced Naruto towards his and said something ever so calmly; considering the possibly fire-breathing dragon standing two feet away from them, this was even more unsettling. "Goddammit, Naruto." the boy whispered, ice in his voice, "You mess with her one more time, I'm going to let her to eat you."

The dragon stared at the ongoing situation. snorting as if in agreement.

"Whatever. Bastard..." Naruto began. The dragon snarled at him. "Eeep! Erm...I meant, O  
MIGHTY SASUKE!" He began again sarcastically, "I was just trying to feed her when she got all pissy-" the dragon hissed, "-er, I mean...upset, and she started going nuts."

"Then why is she telling me you tried to put a saddle on her?" Sasuke asked acusingly.

"Well, I was just fitting her, out of boredom, and that saddle right there was perfect..." Naruto lied.

Sakura was amused with the conversation; she had no right to butt-in, so she decided to let them sort it out and just watch. She looked again at the more quiet of the two; with a second glance, she realized the boy was the one that had bumped into her on the way in to the city. It was odd to Sakura how he got to the scene so quickly, as if he knew what was going to happen beforehand.

Sasuke threw Naruto back down on the ground, and in doing so, his hair moved, revealing sharply pointed ears.

_An elf?_ Sakura thought, confused.

Elves were said to be experts with magic, deadly with a blade, and above all, best-known for taming dragons. Although, dragons were said to have been extinct for a long time, as were elves; or, at least, that was what she had been told.

The dragon looked over at Sakura, snorting again. Sasuke stopped threatening Naruto and looked over in the same direction.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked the dragon, growing more annoyed.

The dragon walked over to Sakura; it towered a good three feet over her, and Sakura felt uneasy. To make matters worse, the dragon sat down next to her.

Sasuke glared at the dragon, but then took notice of Kiba.

"You two love-birds done with your squabble?" Kiba sarcasticly remarked.

"Yeah, when you showed up with your pack of fleas." Naruto teased back, wrapping one arm around Kiba's shoulder. As Kiba shrugged Naruto off, Naruto took notice of Sakura who was sticking out like a sore thumb, both with her bright pink hair, and the 8 foot tall dragon sitting right beside her, she was extremely grateful she left Sove in Kizashi's hands. "Hey," Naruto squinted, "You're really pretty."

"Hn, we're done here, Mitne." Sasuke said and swiftly walked away. The dragon snorted again, but followed after Sasuke like a rather large, obedient puppy.

"Well, uhm," Sakura coughed, "This was interesting, but I think it's time to go now, right Kiba?"

Naruto whistled, "Oi! Kiba, is she your girl or something?"

Sakura scoffed and Kiba laughed.

"I wish, but no. Anyways, the clan is over in the Light District. I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. I'm sure when Sasuke gets the stick out of his ass, he might show up."

"Well, he kinda has a reason to be a bit pissy lately." Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh yeah?" Kiba asked, intrigued.

"The king has been pretty much threatening for him to go into training or joining his army or something. I don't really know, I haven't been paying attention." Naruto half-assed explained.

"Thanks for telling me pretty much nothing I don't know." Kiba dead-panned.

"Anyways, who's up for ramen?!" Naruto boldly, swiftly changing the subject, bellowed and took both Kiba and Sakura by the arm and headed off into the Light District.


	6. The Hidden Forest

**Decided to work on the story a little bit, and I tried to make it as non-confusing as possible, so if it is, let me know. Been running off of little sleep lately (stupid Oklahoma earthquakes). Anywho, as always thanks for the read and please leave a review. I'd always like to thank my Beta/Co-writer, cause without him, I'd have some horrible, careless mistakes. ~Wahyah (also, if anyone seems OOC let me know so I can work on it. It's difficult to type some characters)**

* * *

"So what about that one other guy we saw today?" Sakura asked over the dinner, speaking lightly to Naruto and Kiba.

"Hm?" Naruto snapped his head up with a mouth full of ramen. "Oh, you mean the black-haired bastard, right?"

"Uhm...sure." Sakura nodded slowly.

"What about him?" Kiba asked.

"Well, I mean, is he... You know... An elf?" Sakura asked, tugging the top of her ear to a point.

"Yeah!" Naruto said between a fit of laughter. "They say he's all magical and shit... Buuuut I think he's just a wuss with a bad attitude."

Kiba snapped his fingers, a stern look on his face, "Yeah, the way his grabbed you and nearly strangled you is such a wimp move. I'm sorry, I  
forgot you're an all powerful being capable of sending lightening down a blade without even saying a single arcane word." He finished, practically dripping with sarcasm.

Naruto grumbled something not entirely coherent, but settled back down to his food.

"So what's your story?" Sakura asked.

"Huh? Me?" Naruto asked.

"Uhm... Yeah." Sakura said, annoyance crossing her face.

_Not too bright is he?_ Sove asked as he raised his head from the floor.

Sakura giggled slightly. _No, not at all._

"Well, for one, I'm the toughest guy here in this city." Naruto said boldly; Kiba laughed. "Second, I'm going to be the commander here when the old guy retires."

"Ha! Not going to happen." Kiba began, "Nobody would put you in charge of saddling a horse by yourself, let alone running a whole city - if not the empire soon."

"The empire?" Sakura asked.

"Ah, yes. From the boundries of the "North" as you've been saying, all the land touching the seas on the East and West coast, to the Skiar Mountain ranges, are under rule of the king, Orochimaru, and the few who actually praise him. In all defense, his ideals aren't horrible, and he runs a stable empire, but he's... Hmm... For lack of a better word..-"

"A piece of shit trying to steal people for wars he started that have no meaning." Naruto interrupted.

Silence fell over the clan as they stared at Naruto.

"What do you mean, "steal people"?" Malina asked, her eyes slanting to two yellow slits, making her appear frightening.

"Uhhh... It started right after you all left about two summers ago, I think. He sent an order to send all men who turn eighteen to his ranks on their birthdays. Sasuke's been trying to stay under the radar here for whilenow.; Itachi has already gone to the front." Naruto explained.

"But Itachi was planning to join the ranks anyways; he joined right after we left. They didn't _"steal"_ him." Kiba put in.

"And what of the men that choose to stay?" Malina inquired, the atmosphere growing more serious with each word.

"He... Takes them... By force..." Naruto said lowly, almost impossible to hear.

"Naruto, what's happened?" Malina started to raise her voice.

"Itachi didn't go by his own will... Look, this was right after the clan left. The soldiers came and..." Naruto trailed.

Malina was growing irritated. "What happened." It was no longer a question, but a demand for an answer.

"They killed Sasuke's family." Naruto spoke finally, his voice deadpan.

Murmurs of disbelief arose from the clan.

"But Sasuke is barely a boy of fifteen summers. You're saying this was an order?" Malina carried on.

Naruto said nothing, just nodding slowly.

"That is madness!" Granner, the clan blacksmith, rose his voice. "Soon they'll be after the roaming clans, taking our sons and daughters for their war."

"They have been looking for you guys as of late; luckily, they haven't been able to find this city, nor you guys." Naruto explained.

"I thought you said they killed Sasuke's family?" Sakura asked.

"They did. Sasuke and his family used to live about a league from here; when they refused to tell the soldiers where Sasuke had been, they killed them." Naruto finished.

"This is grave news indeed..." Malina said lowly. "I had forseen a great spectacle to occur, but I never thought this would be the base of it."

"What have you seen?" Jeod asked, shuffling uncomfortably in his seat across from them.

"The chains whispered of a great battle, and the fall of the empire. But, at great costs and quite possibly, the fall of us all." Malina spoke softly.

"There is more, but I cannot tell everything I have seen, not yet. That is a bind between me and the spirits."

Sakura nodded, understanding the meaning of the binds. If one did not keep their end of a deal, the spirits would have permission to overcome the summoner, eventually controlling them completely. The person would live, but they would not be who they once were.

"So now you all know." A familiar, tense voice broke out across the silence.  
The clan turned to find Sasuke leaning against the doors. Nobody had heard him enter the room; his face, surprisingly was not showing  
annoyance; in fact, if any emotion could be gleaned from him, his face was stoic. Not one iota of expression crossed his visage.

"I'm sorry man... They were going to find out eventually." Naruto apologized.

Sasuke said nothing, simply staring.

He raised the sleeves of his arms, revealing symbols in black, running down from his elbows to his wrists.

"What have you done, boy?" Malina asked, exasperated.

"None of you had seen a dragon in a hundred years, nor had anyone else, until I took a risk. This is the contract I made with Mitne when she hatched; my business with her is between us - and will remain as such." Sasuke explained.

"Where did you find the dragon's egg?" Sakura asked after a few moments of silence.

Sasuke turned his head towards her direction and stared blankly. "I stole it."

Anger and disapproval echoed through the room. "From who?" Malina asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

"Orochimaru."

Silence blanketed the room once more, lasting much longer; the penalty for such a crime was death. Naruto was even surprised.

A smirk appeared on Sasuke's face, "Everyone seems so shocked." His eyes narrowed as he stared across the room. "He took _everything_ away from me." Ice crawled into his voice. "None of you cowardly _mutts_ have_ any_ say in **anything** I do. I suggest you all just back off and stay the hell away from me... And do not meddle in my affairs." He sneered, swiftly turning about-face and storming from the building.

The doors slammed the outside walls, cracking the inside of the ceiling.

Naruto whistled. "Well, I've never heard the guy say more than six syllables my entire life, and you all got him to make a speech. Congratulations."

"This is no laughing matter at all, boy." Kiba barked.

"He's going to get us all killed!" Hana exclaimed.

"Where is Kizashi?" Sakura finally asked.

"Asleep." Jeod gestured to the room behind him.

"Good." Sakura said as she stood up, Sove remained on the ground and dozed off back to sleep.

"Where are you going?" Kiba asked, slightly worried.

"For a walk."

Without another word, and refusing to listen to anything else said, she too walked out of the building. The lights lit outside of the path were almost entrancing, the area living up to its name as the Light District. She decided to follow the low path that led to a higher point in the mountain.

She traveled up the path, coming around a dark corner to find a hole in one of sides of the stone, big enough for her to duck her head under and walk in. She tilted her head up to see a very skillfully carved stone stairway leading into the mountain; Sakura suspected that dwarves  
were the cause of this handiwork. She decided to go up the stairway that seemed to lead higher up.

It had taken a fair bit of time, but when she reached the top, she gasped at the sight. There, a small forest flourished within a crag in the mountain, a small hole in the top serving a skylight.

Fading sunlight filtered in from above, trickling through branches to play out on a suspiciously leaf-free ground. Massive pines were scattered across the copse, dappling the ground in shadow. The walls to either side of her were close enough to provide a sense of closeness without being suffocating, while the plantlife was thick in patches, while sparse in others... Almost as if they had been trimmed and placed by hand. A small path, nearly hidden at first, wound between two of the largest trees in sight before disappearing into the depths of the glade. Stepping towards this path, Sakura wondered how something like the forest could grow in a crack in a mountain, before stopping as a low, deep growl seeped out of the brush.

Creeping forward, Sakura noticed two glowing embers of colour looking out towards her Stiffening up for a second, Sakura relaxed when she realized who the glow belonged to. Mitne's sapphire blue eyes pierced from the brush, and slowly, she stepped out, her growl booming from her chest. Sakura wasn't sure whether to run or stand her ground.

_Where is Sasuke? If his dragon is here... Then..._

The quickly recognizable feeling of a cool, sharp blade was at her throat.

"What business do you have here?" The voice growled, sounding almost beastly.

"I- I was just walking around and I found the entrance to this place." Sakura studdered.

"An outsider _wouldn't_ know not to meddle into things they shouldn't." Sasuke growled a string of curses.

"_origato ve gethrisj_" Sakura spoke quickly; Sasuke snorted with annoyance.

"Magic doesn't work in here," He said, releasing her, but still keeping his blade up as they stood a step's distance away from each other, "so I would suggest you stop trying to _make_ me do _anything_ while you are here."

Mitne snorted, smoke flaring out of her nostrils.

Sasuke snapped his head to Mitne, slowly lowering his blade.

For a few tense moments, Sasuke and Mitne stared at each other, their faces belaying an intense mental conversation, until finally Mitne growled at Sasuke.  
Sasuke sheathed his blade, turning back to Sakura, "_What_ are you?"

* * *

Draconic: _origato ve gethrisj: Let me go_


	7. Sparring with afr-enemy?

**Hello Ladies and gentlemen; freaks and geeks; trolls and derps alike! Thank you especially Poppy, Lady R., and others that have reviewed. You guys, believe it or not, have actually helped think of different things I can do to this story and I would like to those who have reviewed because it helps me keep on writing. I do really enjoy writing this story, and again this chapter was written after lot of exhaustion. In further news, my basketball playoffs begin on Thursday this week, although unfortunately, with the team we're matched up with, we're most likely not going to win the first round. (Although it would be cause for celebration because we would basically win state if we beat this team). Anyways, enough of my babbling, thank you all for the read. Please leave a review and tell me if you see something wrong or if I need to tweek something. Thank you! ~Wahyah (Also thanks Dustin, AKA Nightingale, AKA Punching Bag, AKA Nerd of the Century)**

* * *

The tension hung heavily in the air. Sakura stared at Sasuke in confusion.

_What the_ hell_ is he talking about?_ She asked herself, baffled.

"I'm a human." She stated flatly; it was true. At least, it was true as far as she knew. She had no wonderful ability; no shapeshifting capabilities, and no pointed ears. All she had was the ability to wield a sword and cast magic, and even that was only at the apprentice level.

"Hn." Sasuke lowered his head, muttering a string of words that Sakura couldn't hear, then snapped his head back up. Coal black eyes were now crimson red, and Sakura was immediately entranced at the sight. Within a few moments of staring into those eyes, Sakura felt a wave of pain flush upon her.

It was as if someone had started to drill into her head, and another was scraping out the skull fragments that remained. Every second felt like an hour as another wave of pain came upon her, each one worse than the last. Unwillingly, her own memories flashed by, as if Sasuke was scanning her mind. Instinctivily she cast about for a mental block, but lost her focus as the pain increased.

The memories suddenly came to a halt and the only sounnd was a sudden, shrill yelp.

Sakura snapped her head in Sasuke's direction and glared with as much animosity as she could muster.

"What are you trying to prove?" She snapped.

"That you are a liar, and that you know more about yourself than you say." Sasuke fired back, both hands pressed against his head.

"That doesn't give you the right to cast about in my memories and my mind!" She yelled with anger rising in her voice.

"You're in my domain. This is my place I created, that I sculpter with my own hands, that you are standing in... And you are trespassing, I have every right." He commented. "Get out." He said, his voice iced over with sheer bitterness.

"With pleasure." Sakura snorted. "Don't think I'm going to forget what you have done."

Mitne fumbled her feet in protest over Sakura's leaving, snapping her jaws in the air angrily at Sasuke.

Sakura didn't bother to turn around and watch the spectacle; she had had enough for one night. Her head was pounding as if trolls were banging on it from the inside.

She made her way down the stone staircase and back through the entryway. The bright lights from the district made her headache even worse, making her shield her eyes from the blinding glare.

Sakura was not only mad about her mind being... _Violated_ by a spell; she hadn't truly had one moment of tranquility since her clan was destroyed. Sakura took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and it worked... After a while.

She opened her eyes. The lights didn't hurt her eyes quite as much as they had a few moments before, and she took a moment to appreciate the fact. Extravagent colors were glowing along the roads, like a blinding abunance of rainbows after a storm. The light from the district itself was bright enough to light half of the mountain city alone. She looked up at the opening in the ceiling to see the moon shining through, giving the city the pale glow of its light. In all reality, she enjoyed being in the city, though slightly less than charming /some/ of the people were. Although, really, she would have liked to have learned more about him. Instead, she was scanned like an probe for information she didn't even know.

A low rumble snuck up from behind her. Sakura turned around to see Mitne once more.

_I apologise on his behalf._ The voice was booming, and obviously female. Like a waterfall crashing down on rocks, it echoed across her mind. It was also entirely unexpected, and Sakura was shocked that Mitne had opened her mind to be heard by Sakura.

Mitne's tail twitched as she shuffled uncomfortably.  
"Why did he go through my mind?" Sakura asked, trying to hide the fury in her voice.

_Like me, he was curious about you. Unfortunately, he is too proud to ask questions, and would usually rather force the answer out of someone. Not much of a conversationist, really, but I suppose it is his nature._ Mitne explained.

"Why ask something of me that I don't know?" Sakura asked, slightly confuus.

Mitne began to speak, then stopped. Her blue eyes flicked as she heard Sasuke come from behind the two of them, and her tail twitched again in irritation. Sasuke glared and Sakura felt the heat of his anger from behind Mitne's back.

Mitne opened her mouth in a wolfish grin and laughed, the sound as gravely as stones grinding together. _He is too proud to apologise, so again, I do so on his behalf._

Sakura looked behind Mitne at Sasuke, "Apology...accepted."

"Hn." Sasuke turned his head, struggling to hide the smirk and frown simultaneously climbing his face to say anything else.

"Now, may it be my turn for some questions?" Sakura asked.

"No." Sasuke said, dead-pan.

Mitne turned her head to Sasuke once more. Sasuke said nothing still, and turned to leave once more.

_I'm afraid I must bid you farewell, young one._

"Perhaps another time?" Sakura asked hopeful.

_Perhaps._

* * *

Returning to the building the clan was staying in, Sakura began to think that they actually owned the building; having finally noticing that there were no other owners to be around, she realized she had not been present when the clan moved their things in.

She was greeted by Sove, who was resting against the leg of the dining table, his tail thumping against the floor like a rustling of blankets fanning the ground.

He said nothing, but gave her a smile... Well, as much a smile as a dog could do. Sakura smiled back, thankful that he didn't question what had happened. Then again, she remembered their link; he could probably see it in her mind already without need of her telling anything.

Everyone else, she assumed, has already gone to sleep, and she felt that she should do the same, for the sake of events that had happened. She felt mentally and physically tired, and that was even more of an excuse to end a somewhat miserable day.

~

Sakura woke up early the next morning, feeling as if she had gained no rest from her dreamless sleep. The clan had not yet stirred, and she still had no idea what was next to do on the agenda. She felt like she would begin to wear out her welcome if she didn't find some means of helping out the clan soon, whether by means of food or money. She was decent at hunting, but skins weren't worth very much in the winter there no doubt being a surplus of them already.

She left her room and Sove followed her closely.

_Can I come with today? _He tilted his head as he asked, and, as if to make it harder to say no, wagged his tell ever so slightly.

Sakura nodded, strapping on her sword and heading out the door.

As luck would have it, as she turned to leave she faced her large, scaly-green acquaintance, Mitne. It was enough to almost make Sakura yelp in surprise, she had not immediately realized that it was her, what with her being so easy to recognize.

_Come._ Mitne instructed. It was not a request, but an order, albeit a gentle one.

"Why? Where are we going?" Sakura asked.

_Back the Moonlight Den. That is all I'm allowed to tell you._

Sove padded along side and gazed at Mitne as she walked, dumbstruck at how big she actually was, as opposed to the concept of her from Sakura's memories.

When they had reached the foot of the stairs that led of the the mountain forest Sakura had discovered, Mitne lowered her body, _Grab onto your...dog, and I will fly us up to the top._

Knowing it was probably better to not question the dragon's intentions, she did as instructed.

Mitne's scales were smooth, but as Sakura moved her leg from an awkward position, she realized that her scales were only smooth going downwards, being rough when rubbed in the opposite direction. When Sakura finally settled into a good position, Mitne leaped into the air, causing Sakura's stomach to lurch. The flight was short lived, but the motion sickness made Sakura's head spin when they had landed on the surface.

As she regained her posture she noted that Sasuke was standing a few feet away from her with his hand on the hilt of his blade.

"Spar me." He commanded abruptly.

"If this is a way to apologize, you need some practice." Sakura said, beginning to earnestly question his social skills. She began to stady herself, realizing he truly meant for them to fight.

"Just do it."

That was enough for Sakura to unsheath her sword, shaking her head to clear it as she did so. She took notice that it was dull, much like how her dagger had been, and made a sour expression on her face. Nevertheless, she stood in a defensive stance, awaiting her opponent's move.

She had always been taught to react, rather than be the one to initiate the spar - it gave her a strategic advantage.

Although, this time she felt she might have to shift to her more uncomfortable stance, the offensive. Sasuke didn't seem to be one to start anything; as well, from the stories she had heard, she knew elves were stubborn, but unbelievably cunning. No doubt he was willing to wait the entire day for her to attack.

She quickly made the first swing, not too much force thrown into it. Sasuke effortlessly parried the strike with ease, his face the usual mixture of bored and calm at the same time. Sakura spun, moving her blade to her left hand hoping to get a hit with the hilt of her sword as she turned.

Again and again, Sasuke blocked all of her attempts with inhuman speed and ease. Soon he began to move to the offensive. His swings were all but crushing, but Sakura too parried his strike, sparks flying at the point their blades touched. After a flurry of his strikes, Sakura arms began to feel heavy, too heavy to hold them up after a mind-numbingly long sparring session, at least in her standards. Yet he kept his stance, as though he didn't feel a thing.

"You're good." Sasuke began. "But you're not going to last long in a real fight if you swing like that." He remarked, somewhat rudely.

"Well I'm sorry," Sakura began, sarcasm sharp in her voice as she spoke between heavy breaths of air, "An elf of your standard would have probably wanted a better person to spar with like, hm, I don't know, a fucking soldier?"

"I don't kill needlessly."

Sakura glared with irritation and scoffed.

"What words do you know?" Sasuke asked.

She knew, somehow, he meant in the dragon language; she didn't want to admit that it was only a few phrases, but it was enough to get her this far. Instead she chose to swallow her pride and admit it. Sasuke smirked.

"Leave now." Sasuke said, "But return here in a few hours."

"Why are you doing this?" Sakura asked, finally building the courage to ask. It didn't make sense; just the night before, he was demanding answers of what she was. Now he decided he was "helping" her.

"To see what you can do." Without anything else to say, he turned away and ventured into his own elvish forest.

Sove padded back over to Sakura and pawed at her leg. _I thought you did really well._

_Thank you._ Sakura said as she picked him up She figured - or rather, hoped - that the ride on Mitne was a one and done deal, and began walking back down to the district.


	8. Betrayal

**Howdy y'all, been a long weekend since school's out tomorrow cause of the amazing Oklahoma weather. So I might power on a make another chapter by tomorrow. Thank you all for the feedback, I appreciate every word of it. I hope this didn't move on too quickly, but I didn't know another way to do it, but this is a vital turning point in the story. As always please leave a review so I know if I need to fix some things. Thanks for the read! ~Wahyah**

* * *

"Wrong."

"But I-"

"You said it wrong. If you say a word wrong, it can, and likely will, backfire and kill you."

Sakura groaned in irritation. Why had she even bothered to come back? She knew enough of the language to use the spells she knew, and that was enough.

"Say it again." Sasuke commanded.

Sakura turned to him with an idea and mouthed, _"Sejinw"_

Sasuke opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He relaxed his features and slowly let out a silent puff of air.  
He mouthed more words. Sakura almost laughed, but as she took a step forward, her legs felt like dead weight. No matter how hard to tried to move, her legs were still.

_"duulo sia hoinpic"_ Sakura said loudly; in turn, Sasuke smirked. His spell was too strong for her to release. Taking her sigh as a sign of surrender, he released her from the binding spell.

Sakura knew it was a bad idea for him to release his ward on the Den. Ever since he did so, she would cast a spell, and Sasuke would counter it with one of his own. Although she had learned some new words in the language, she doubted that she learned as much as he had planned. Still, the question of why he was helping her was still hanging heavily in the air, and the tension was enough to choke on. He had said he wanted to know more about her, but teaching her knew fighting techniques was a strange way to find something out about someone.  
Mitne chuckled over to the side of the action, and Sove flinched at the booming sound of it and shook his head, trying to dull the noise.

Almost catching Sakura off guard, Sasuke tossed her a piece of wood, carved in the rough shape of a sword.

"Spar me."

"With sticks?" Sakura was now fervently questioning his sanity, or lack of. Picking up the weapon, she shifted to face him directly.

Without warning, he was the one to initiate the spar this time, charging at inhuman speed.

Instinctively, she parried his first strike, and again when he tried the same spin move she had attempted prior. Infuriated by the mental challenges he had already put her through, she allowed that fury to fuel her attacks; she /wanted/ to hit him as hard as she possibly could, hoping inflicting at least a bruise, if not more. With every strike she took, he would block the blow and send her staggering backwards. He took it as an opportunity to strike and knocked the wooden sword from her hands, landing with a thud a few feet away from her. He aimed the tip of the sword at her throat.

Sakura wasn't ready for the spar to end yet; despite her heavy breathing, she was still fueled with enough irritation and anger to keep fighting. She swiftly attempted to swipe his feet from under him - in nearly the same instant, he leaped in the air. Sakura seized this opportunity to roll over to her sword, and quickly picked back up in time to block a heavy blow. The swords were locked in a test of strength now, and Sakura knew she wouldn't win this battle.

_I hate to resort to trickery, but it's a last resort._ She planned in her head.

As sasuke put more strength onto his sword, Sakura pushed against him and jumped backwards, skidding to a halt and bringing up a cloud of dirt. She kicked up the dust towards his face, and for a moment, Sakura thought her plan might have worked. Instead, he used it to his advantage, and disappeared in the cloud. Within a few more moments, he was behind her with his sword back at her neck.

_Game over._

Sasuke said nothing, but his arrogance radiated off of him as he released her. "Recite the alphabet."

Facetiously, she began, "A, B, C,-"

Sasuke glared and snorted in irritation.

Sakura sighed; the guy was no fun. She quickly recited the draconic alphabet.

"Now you've learned a third of the alphabet-"

"Wait, that's only a fraction of the letters?" Sakura asked, shocked.

"If I tried to teach you everything about the language, it would a take lifetime." He began, "As I was saying, now that you've learned some new words, the words you are saying are beginning to be the true names of things, rather than just their aspects."

"So... I can control that thing if I know it's true name." Sakura deduced.

Sasuke nodded.

"So what if I learned someone's true name? Would I be able to control them?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, but almost nobody knows their true name. For that very reason, mind you."

"But you know yours." Sakura waited to see his reaction.

"All elves know their true names; their own, and /only/ their own." He said, bitterness in his voice; Sakura had apparently struck a nerve.

"How do you know your true name?" Sakura pressed on.

"You ask too many things." He snapped.

Sakura snorted in irritation again; at least she had gotten /some/ amount of information from him. Above all of the questions she could ask, though, she wanted to know how he had created this den. Before she lost the courage, she brought the topic up.

He acted as if he did not hear her, instead mumbling a word, and shortly after he did so, he breathed a ball of fire, the flames spreading outward from him.

"What did you say?" Sakura asked, her mind was instantly brought to his attention once more.

_"ixen"_

The word itself had a sense of power to it. _Fire._

The most destructive element, the one with that brings most death; yet, an element that can save lives as well, and is needed for them to continue.

"By invoking_ ixen_, you can bring a person's body to a smouldering mess, or provide warmth to an entire clan. Its strength is entirely in your hands."

"I used_ nixeu_ against a manticore, and it burned pretty damn well from just that." Sakura proudly stated.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Only because the beast was sickly." Sakura's pride was again smashed.

"What's with all of this anyways?" Sakura asked.

"All of what?"

"The spell traps, the sparring, learning the language... What is all of this for?" Sakura asked, demanding an answer.

"In case of a battle." Sasuke snapped, pointedly ending that question. Sove even ducked his head from the ferociousness of the quip.

Mitne narrowed her scaly eyes and Sasuke turned his head to her. _"tiric coi selgtarn"_

Mitne hissed and smoke rolled from her nostrils.

"We're done for the day." He said.

"But you didn't-"

_"Out!"_

* * *

_Well, I've seen nicer. I think Mitne is pretty nice, though._ Sove said as he padded alongside Sakura.

She scoffed. _An arrogant _twat_ is what _he _is._

"Well, if it isn't "Miss I ditch everyone to go for a walk"." The unmistakable voice of Kiba echoed from behind.

Not too far behind, Naruto was walking along, his hands behind his head as he gazed up at the ceiling of the cave nonchalantly. "If only there was a sky to look at..." He muttered, mostly to himself.

"Hey guys." Sakura greeted them with smile.

""_hey guys_"?" Kiba mocked. "You disappear for half the day and all you say is"Hey guys"?"

Sakura suppressed a laugh, "Oh yes, because you're _so _furious."

Kiba rolled his eyes. Naruto returned back to reality, looking back down from the ceiling.

"Oi, has the Bastard returned from his tantrum?" Naruto asked.

"I don't think so." Sakura answered uncertainly; honestly. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell everyone where he was. The very fact that she even found his "lair" was most likely by luck, and maybe not exactly the good kind. More than likely, he had hidden it for a reason.  
Sakura's mind drifted off into thought, and she stared blankly for a moment, Kiba noticed and poked her shoulder.

"You alright?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah, it's just... A lot's happened within the past few months for me. Hell, just in the past week after finding your clan. It's all happened so fast. I'm worried about what's going to happen next, and... Hell, with Malina's prediction, it makes me feel a little uneasy." Sakura admitted.  
Naruto grinned; it wasn't a happy smile, but more of a knowing one, and for a moment, he didn't seem like the fool he was yesterday. "It sounds like things may be working out in your favor now, you know? Could have been worse."

Sakura smiled, "It could always be worse."

* * *

Over the next seven and a half weeks, Sakura began to enjoy Sasuke helping her learn. Not only swordsmanship, but with how to use the ancient language, as well as apply it without wasting a large amount of energy. Above all, she wasn't bored by any means.

Her friendship with Naruto and Kiba had grown closer as well. She enjoyed being around them, and Kizashi had taken kindly to Jeod, who would help him in learning how to string a bow, and lightly spar with him, Sove had grown a fair bit; at two and a half months, he stood at Sakura's knee, but his signs of growing didn't seem to slow whatsoever.

Her relationship with Sasuke however... Not much changed, it was moreso student and teacher in that respect. Indeed, within the past 2 weeks, he had become more irritable; Mitne seemed a bit unsettled as well. The past few days, however, Sakura had not seen Sasuke around very much, and when she would, he would seem as if he was sneaking in and out of places, trying to be unseen. Sparring sessions had grown shorter, and his temper grew shorter as well.

It started not to matter much to her; of course she was still worried - she cared for him on a somewhat platonic level, and those weren't his normal behavior patterns, even for a boy as antisocial as he may be - hell, as he was.

Her and Sasuke...not much changed, it was moreso student and teacher in those means. Although within the past week, he had become more irritable, and Mitne seemed a bit unsettled as well. As for the past few days, Sakura had not seen Sasuke around, and when she would, he would seem as if he was sneaking in and out places. Sparring sessions were shorter and his temper grew shorter.

It started to not matter much to her, of course she was still worried, she cared for him on a somewhat of a friendship level, and these aren't normal behavior patterns, even for a boy as antisocial as Sasuke may be.

"So... Are there more?" Sakura began, hesitantly.

"More what?" Sasuke snapped, sounding as if he were chewing his words as he spoke. He was occupied sharpening his blade with ferocity.

"More elves like you."

He stopped halfway with the stone, sitting there with an expression not even Sakura could decipher. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it once more. Sakura sat in patience awaiting his answer, and after a few more moments, he answered. "No."

He stood up and sheathed his blade, "Go."

Sakura did as she was instructed and left. It was a losing battle to press any further considering that he was as stubborn as an ass, and most of the time, acted as one. As well, with the way he responded, she was not sure she wanted to know the answer.  
It was not until later that evening as she ate with the clan, Naruto joining as well, that Sakura felt a sense of impending doom. She held her breath as she felt like everything had slowed down: Naruto laughing at a joke Kiba had told, Hana glaring at the two for being rambunctious, and Malina sitting with a blank expression on her face.

Malina's eyes were shifting as if she were looking at an entirely different scene then what was present; then, her eyes met Sakura's. The moment the yellow clashed with emerald, Malina jolted.

"The gates!" She cried out, and everyone looked up at her with shock and fear. "They're here."

"Who's here?" Erwen, the apprentice blacksmith looked up with childish ignorance.

"The soldiers, likely." Kiba figured.

Shortly after uttering it out loud, a loud boom echoed throughout the city. The clan quickly ran outside to see for themselves what was going on.

Citizens were rushing hurriedly towards the cave exits, dotting the walls in various places. The clan took notice as well and prepared to do the same. Sakura instead took off in the direction of the boom with Sove quickly trailing her, ignoring the yells from the clan.

_Is this a good idea?_ Sove asked with worry in his voice.

_What's the point of learning all these new words and not using them? _Sakura answered back.

_This feels foolish... _Sove snorted.

As they ran onto the scene, it was not what Sakura had expected to see.

Archers draped in mail armor rattled as they moved forward into the city. Other soldiers strutted in on horseback looking arrogantly across the city as they dragged trolls behind their steeds on oversized leashes. The trolls followed obediently, as if knowing there would be reward if they do as they are told. The metal collars were bulky and their hands were cuffed.

Another boom echoed on the other side, and the same happened not too far away. The district were being overrun with people fleeing, and corpses were already littering the ground. Sakura felt uneasy, and even Sove padded to the side, expecting to take off.

_The men on horses are in the middle along with the trolls; if what I'm thinking is correct and works, it could cause some chaos amongst their ranks. _Sakura looked down at Sove.

He pinned his ears back and put his tail between his legs, _What exactly are you thinking?_

Sakura said nothing, raising her finger and muttering strings of words from the ancient language, preparing to cast something over the officers.

As she was speaking them, a cloaked man appeared at the back of the unit as they fully entered the city.

And she paused to think about the situation. The city should have been prepared for something like this, considering they knew the empire was trying to find it's whereabouts recently... The situation seemed odd; only then did she realize what danger she had possibly put herself and Sove into.

Distracted by her thoughts, Sakura had not been paying attention to her surroundings as a soldier appeared from behind.  
Reflex took over and she unsheathed her sword quickly, spinning to face him. Her sword pierced the soldier in the weaker, lower part of the shoulder guard. He yowled in pain as blood started to leak from the wound, and faced her with newfound fury. As he raised his war hammer above his head, he stopped, frozen almost, as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and fell.

Unsure what had happened, Sakura had no time to think or even react as a mind numbing screech echoed through her mind. Sove slumped to the ground, and Sakura's vision turned red and black. She fell to the ground on her knees holding onto her head, darkness soon coming over her..

* * *

_...She remembered seeing bright flashes..._

_...She remembered hearing screams..._

_...She remembered being picked up by someone or something..._

_...She remembered seeing a grey sky for the first time in two months..._

"Wake up." An unfamiliar voice said.

Sakura mumbled incoherently, starting to fall out of consciousness once more.

"I'll throw you in the lake over here if you don't wake up. Try me." The voice warned once more.

Sakura opened her eyes, still feeling the effects of what happened.

"Good, nice to see you're awake." The voice said again.

Sakura paused and slowly turned her head to see a man with the bottom half of his face covered with a blue cloth, a bandage covering his left eye. His hair was white as snow and was spiked in a single direction.

She felt for her sword, and the man chuckled.

"I mean you no harm; in fact, you and your pal there should thank me for casting that spell and saving you both." He said with his right eye lazily gazing upon them.

"Where am I?" Sakura demanded.

"Ah, good question." He said as he stood up, but offered no explanation.

As Sakura stood up as well, she noticed that she was outside in a forest untouched by snow. Sove was sleeping beside the firepit, and two horses were tied to the bark of trees.

"I'm going to ask one more time, old man. Where am I and who are you?" Sakura raised her voice again, feeling a bit more defensive.

"Actually you never asked who I was. Tsk, a shame young ones don't respect their elders as they should - and I'm not even that old. But, if you must know, you may call me Kakashi. And without me, you would've died back there." He explained finally.

"What happened though?" Sakura asked, intent on piecing together what was actually caused all of this.

"Sasuke betrayed us." Kakashi said, quietly.

"Sasuke?" Sakura scoffed.

Kakashi nodded, continuing despite Sakura's doubt, "He revealed our location to their army; within a few hours time, the soldiers came through the gates, destroyed the entire city, and slaughtered every man, woman, and child they saw. They said it was orders by the King for treason."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat, "Everyone?"

"Some clans got out, but as of their whereabouts, or even if they're safe, I do not know."

"So why save me?"

"Why not?"

This game of questions was aggravating Sakura. "Of all the people, you saved me. Why?"

"Naruto told me to find a girl with pink hair and a black dog. Wasn't too difficult, especially since you were drawing unneeded attention to yourself. Foolish." His voice grew stern. "Foolish that you almost got yourself killed when you shouldn't have left on your own. What you were thinking, I haven't a clue."

Sakura growled at being scolded by someone who had practically kidnapped her, who was saying /she/ was foolish. "Where are Naruto and Kiba?"

"No idea."

"Then where I am to go?" Sakura asked, worry creeping into her voice.

"You're to come with me. Naruto was my foster child, and he has told me about you. Interesting enough that you know magic... In any case, when you ran off, Naruto came and found me, told me to come find you - and here we are." He explained.

Sakura was skeptical, his story seeming a little empty, but what more did she have to go on?

"Where is my sword?" Sakura asked, a little bit quieter now.

"Over in the bag, on the white horse." Kakashi pointed.

Sakura was still weary, and wasn't sure if his story could be trusted, but she realized that, if he had wanted to kill her, or do anything to her, he would've done it. The fact that she didn't awaken tied up told her she wasn't being held captive.

_But what if that's the trick?_ Sakura asked herself as she found her sword. The horse whinnied and dug the dirt with its hoof. _I could just get on the horse now and run off._

"How did you get me out here?" Sakura asked him, not turning her head away from the horse.

"Put you on the saddle - Nightingale wouldn't let you fall." Kakashi explained nonchalantly.

Sakura looked up at the horse. It didn't help that she was rather short; If she was anything other than human, dwarf would be a possibility. She sighed, deciding that she would trust him. If he was an enemy, Sove would've done something by now.

She was distracted by her thoughts again. Things had actually been going well. And yet again, another place she would've thought of as home was destroyed; her mentor was a traitor, and now there was a possibility her brother was missing. But that was the worse case scenario; the clan might've gotten him, and saw him through the chaos.

Sove began to stir and woke up. He stood up, stretched, and let out a big yawn as he did so. Shaking his fur he looked around the area. _Oh good, you're awake._ He wagged his tail.

_How long have I been out?_ Sakura asked, alarmed.

_A couple of days, actually. I was beginning to worry about you. _Sove sat down, staring at her as he did.

Kakashi clapped his hands together, "Break time's over, let's get back on the move."

"Wait, where are we going?" Sakura asked.

"To a safer place." Kakashi dead-panned.

"So that's all you're going to tell me?" Sakura bit out, slightly frustrated.

"Well, our next stop is Resingarde; we'll need supplies, and I need some information."

"Information on what?"

"Why Sasuke up and left."

"There's no way he would do that willingly, and Mitne wouldn't let him anyhow." Sakura said, adamantly.

"Don't get confused, Sakura; Mitne is bonded to Sasuke, and where he goes, she goes. She has some influence, but without each other, they'll likely die. I had a feeling something like this was going to happen, I just... Didn't do anything to stop him." His voice paused towards the end, the sound of guilt and regret creeping in.

Sakura looked down at Sove and he gave a slight whimper. "Well... Let's get going then."

* * *

_Sejinw - Silence_

duulo sia hoinpic - Release my legs


	9. A New Thing To Fear

**Snow days are a blessing, I tell ya. Although I /was/ supposed to go horseback riding for practice since now basketball season's over. (Yeah, we lost. Got next year though, Senior year status!) I'm in one of those moods to write so please let me know if I need to clarify anything or if something needs tweaking. As always, thanks for the read and please leave a review. ~ Wahyah**

* * *

They traveled on game trails for two days, stopping only to eat, sleep, and let the horses rest.

Sove enjoyed himself; him being a magical creature himself, and a puppy to boot, he never really got tired.

"How far until we reach Resingarde?" Sakura asked as she reached for her waterskin.

"We should be there by tomorrow." Kakashi said.

That was the first time they had really said anything to one another since they left the camp site two days ago. Mostly, it had been nods towards difficult patches of terrain, or waves of the hand to move off the path.

The terrain had gotten less elevated, and plains were beginning to appear. Sakura began to wonder how far they had traveled to get back down where there was only light dustings of snow, instead of the ground blanketed in such as it was near where the clan had stayed. She figured they must've headed back south, but that trek would have taken a month, at least, for it to be this warm. There had to be other parts in this empire that Sakura had been led into.

Was it possible that the empire was a cause for the destruction of her hometown?

_Are they after _me_?_ Sakura gulped at the thought.

The skies were clouded over, shielding Sakura from the sun once more; she felt that soon, she would not be able to go out in the sunlight at this rate.

As they traveled the game trails, they saw no big game. It was unnerving because there was always at least a sign of something that was there; there were no tracks, no markings, not even any leaves bitten off along the path. There were a few squirrels and rabbits here and there, but those were the only animals they had seen; the only birds Sakura had seen were the black crows that seemed to follow them everywhere they went.

Sakura felt a pang in her stomach; she longed to go and find the clan that had taken her in so willingly. Subconsciously, she gripped the claws that hung around her necklace. For the time she was there with them, eveything seemed almost normal for once... Like she didn't have to be afraid anymore.

"Are we still in the empire?" Sakura asked.

"Hm?" Kakashi turned his head towards her, "Ah, yes. We're going to the coastal lines, if you are wondering why the snow is so light."  
She had never been to the sea, but she had heard that it was a great sight to behold. The salty air that was said to be unmistakable, the enormous fish that sometimes jumped out of the water, and the trading ships bringing cargo in from distant lands.

"Why are we going there?" Sakura continued on, maybe hoping to spark a conversation.

"As I said, to get information. The problem is, I have wanted posters out for me - and no doubt that if you don't, you will soon."

_What?! _Sakura was alarmed, _Me? Wanted? I've never done anything wrong!_

"Why would they be after me?" Sakura asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

Kakashi chuckled, "Every man, woman, and child back there was just slaughtered for treason of the High King. There were records of you being there, and, possibly, they had already been on the lookout for you before. As for me, I've been one they have been looking for, for many years."

_Oh great, now I'm traveling with a criminal, and I'm a fugitive too._ Sakura rolled her eyes.  
_  
Hey, you're forgetting that they will be looking for me too._ Sove chimed in.

_You seem excited about it. _Sakura bit out sarcastically.  
_  
You were the one who was eager to challenge a company of soldiers by yourself. Don't judge me for what I think is exciting._ Sove grunted.

A clap of thunder echoed through the air, and Sakura lifted her head up slightly as a lightening bolt crashed down not too far away. The heat reached over to their area, and both horses reared back.

"Thunder sleet." Kakashi remarked as he settled his horse down.

"What?" Sakura asked as she did the same.

"Thunder sleet, a thunderstorm in a land where the air freezes it solid. Quite a rarity, but we'd better get in some better cover. That is, unless you _like_ having ice chunks fall on your head."

"I think I'll pass." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Come on, I know of a den not too far from here."

"Do you have the layout of the land memorized?" Sakura asked, facetiously

"I've been around a while." Kakashi smiled with his right eye wrinkling.

Sove opened his mouth; he almost appeared to be smiling.

* * *

By the time they had found the den, the storm had already picked up and the wind had begun to bend even the thickest trees. Sakura tried to make a fire from some of the firewood they had collected, but the wood had gotten wet from what had already fallen. In frustration, she kicked the log, throwing it against the wall of the cave.

Kakashi sat there and watched her as she did so, chuckling slightly. He stood up and retrieved the pieces of wood, placing them in the dip in the floor. As he clicked the stones together, sparks flared out but didn't catch, and he mumbled something.

The blocks instantly burst to flames. He sat down, his legs crossed.

"What did you do?" Sakura asked, having glanced up from her thoughts at the flames.

"I made a fire." Kakashi said as he clicked the stones in demonstration.

Sakura tilted her head slightly, _Perhaps he wasn't human either. Would explain why he covers his face._

Sove laid at the entrance of the cave, staring at the ice as it came down.

"It is an odd twist of events." Kakashi spoke out loud.

"Excuse me?"

"Everything. From the city being attacked, to us ending up in this cave. And, oddly, I felt safe in that city, up until a week ago. I guess things will never be as they once were."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, curious to learn more from him.

"I was a soldier myself once. Worked for the Snake, did his dirty work. I had even hoped to one day be his lieutenant... But, I go missing in action one time, and he throws me to the side like a dead raccoon. From then on, I hated him. Conspired against him really. One raid on his beloved castle was all it took to be his public enemy number one."

Sakura noted that his story had a few holes in it, but it was probably better not to press any further. He likely wouldn't tell her anything if she begged to know more.

He turned to her, "So, what's your story?"

"My clan was killed. All that survived was my brother and I; we found the Inuzaka clan, and they took us in. That's about it." Sakura briefed.

"That's it?" Kakashi mused.

"Yeah... That's it..." Sakura quietly admitted, unsure of the answer herself.

* * *

They woke up early the next morning. The trail soon became nothing but mere grasslands; Sakura felt vulnerable in the open, but it gave her an opportunity to see if enemies were approaching.

As the horses trotted along, a small town came into the view on the horizon.

"Is that it?" Sakura squinted her eyes to see it better.

"No, just a town to pass through. Up ahead there's a division between a few paths. It's a nice shortcut." Kakashi explained.  
Sove paused in the middle of the road, standing completely still.

Sakura halted too and looked down at Sove. _What's wrong?_  
_  
Something just...isn't right._ Sove said with a whimper.

With reluctance, Sove continued walking, at a slower, more cautious pace.

As they got closer to the town, a rusty, unmistakable smell lingered around.

_Blood._

Sakura's breath hitched in her throat and she looked at Kakashi, who seemed to be bothered as well.

The gates leading into the town was ajar, and from behind the gate an arm was visible, lying on the ground. As they entered, Sakura expected to see the arm attached to a body, but instead, it laid there in a pool of blood, as if had been ripped off. Scattered throughout the town were bits and pieces of what were unmistakably human bodies, strewn haphazardly along the ground. There was no destruction visible - other than splashes of blood and gore, all of the buildings she could see were perfectly intact; it was as if everyone had spontaneously blown apart.  
Sakura gagged as the smell of death became overwhelming. She fought back tears as she saw children lying face-down in the dirt, and quickly turned to look imploringly at Kakashi.

Sove whined as they passed through, and his emotions linked to Sakura's, nearly overwhelming her with fear and sadness.

_Something cruel did this..._ Sakura said to Sove.  
_Something not human, or anything we've seen._ Sove fastidiously looked down at the ground to avoid seeing the gory scene.

"Kakashi, what could have done something like this?" Sakura choked out.

"Zduhaći..." Kakashi said.

"What are they?" Sakura asked, frightened that they were still around.

"Something you don't want to see." Kakashi finished.

As they passed what appeared to be a store, they saw a line of pointed wooden pikes with a head on each spike; at this sight, Sakura retched, while Nightingale stepped to the side a bit to avoid walking into this partivularly violent sight.

"Let's get out of here." Kakashi said.

"We should have done that from the start." Sakura bit out.

* * *

It was around dusk when they decided to stop and camp for the night.

"We should be there by the afternoon tomorrow." Kakashi said after a long silence.

Sakura sat quietly, staring blankly at the fire and leaving her food untouched. Sove whined a bit; Sakura sat the food next to him and he lapped up the meal.

"Yeah..." Sakura said blankly. She knew she would be haunted by that scene for the rest of her life. Unless, she grimly realized, something worse happened, but she hoped that that wouldn't be the case.

Kakashi kicked dirt over the fire to put it out; shortly after he did so, a horrible screech echoed through the night air.

The horses tugged on their reins in an attempt to break free and Kakashi ran out to calm them down. They relaxed at his touch; he motioned for Sakura and Sove to move out of sight.

Another screech echoed through the air, this one much closer. The sound of wings flapping through the air was unnerving.  
Lit by the moon, a scaly humanoid creature flew overhead. It slowed as it approached their area for a moment, sniffing in deeply, trying to catch a scent. As it got closer to their campsite, it lowered itself through the air, as if it were going to land in their camp.

The ground shook for a moment and a few bucks ran through the camp, speeding into the forest on the far side. The creature breathed in again, a noise so loud it sounded as if the wind itself was blowing, and screeched again, launching itself forward to chase after the deer.

Kakashi and Sakura sat still, unmoving, until the sun began to rise, and they were sure it was safe to emerge.

"_That,_ is a zduhaći." Kakashi said, looking in the direction the creature had flown.

* * *

_Howdy._

zduhaći - Stole the name from a mythical creature, but it will be different as the story progresses.


	10. A New Face

**Howdy all,** **I'm sorry it took so long, I'm an accident prone lol. I know it's REALLY short, but please forgive me, and I'll try my best to make the next chapter atleast 10k words. Deal? Again, I'm sorry guy. As always, thanks for the read, please leave review so I know what to do to make it better. ~Wahyah**

* * *

The sky was clouded over as they reached the next town, the sign sitting to the side naming it Resingarde, and the air felt damp and heavy. Sakura had guessed a few miles ago, with the onset of the oppressive weather, that they had reached the coast. The trip had lasted longer than they had expected, with heavy storms passing through, but Sakura was still hopeful that things would change, or that, perhaps, this was all just a bad dream, and that she would wake up and be home with her friends and family once more.

Her hair was slightly damp from the humidity and her clothes hung together more heavily than usual, but she ignored all of it to see the city that lied ahead of her.

Resingarde rivalled the size of some of the greatest cities Sakura had ever seen. To her right, a vast marketplace slid into a shipyard, the sea visible from behind a few buildings. To her left, on the other hand, was a great, densly built residential area, the houses all stained dark browns and greys from the weather, and the humidity of the nearby water. Ahead, a few larger, more spread apart houses sat, all looking as if they had been built the day before - or, rather, as she found out quickly from the sight of people scaling them with tools, as if their owners had enough coin to have the weathering cleaned regularly. Ships moved in and out of the ports near-constantly, and a low din could be heard from the area.

"So, how are we going to get information here?" Sakura asked.

"I know an old friend here that can help us find out a good amount of what we need to know." Kakashi said, sounding almost nostalgic.

It was the same answer he had kept giving her since they had begun this way, and, between this and the low mood she had been in, she was nearly willing to give up and just wait to see who this person was. Sove padded along, his spirits still down after the sight he had seen the other day.

_Are you okay?_ Sakura was really worried that Sove was depressed.

_I'll get over it._ He said, sounding uncertain of himself.

_If you need to talk, then please do so._ Sakura pressed.

_I'm fine._ He growled, picking up his pace to match Kakashi's horse. Nightingale snorted and shook his head, the sound almost like laughter.

"Oh shut up." Sakura muttered.

"Hm? What was that?" Kakashi asked.

"Just talking to the horse." Sakura said quickly.

"Careful, he has an attitude sometimes." Kakashi warned, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

* * *

The dirt roads they had been traveling soon turned to cobblestone as they reached yet another city. Sakura wondered if they might have to stop and put shoes on the horses, or if they would be out of here soon enough before their hooves cracked on the hard surface. Sove continued on, looking slightly happier, as if the previous conversation had not happened.

Sakura huffed and blew a piece of hair out of her face. It was becoming slightly too long anyhow; perhaps it was time for a quick cut. She looked around. seeing buildings made from strong brick that would last many generations; but, due to the humidity in the air, moss grew on several of the shops. It gave the city an aged look - although, perhaps, this town was much older than what met the eye. Nightingale nodded his head up and down as he trotted down the street, Sove fluffed up his fur to make his appear bigger than he was.

"Who are you two trying to show off for?" Sakura mused.

_Big city. Lots of people and I like to look good._ Sove wagged his tail and strutted down the street while people looked at the unusual pup.

Sakura was curious as to what Nightingale was thinking and tried to relax her thoughts and open her mind more than usual, to connect to him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Kakashi turned his head to her. "You leave yourself vulnerable to those skilled with magic. And believe me, there are plenty here." Sakura nodded with slight shame.

After a few moments Kakashi pulled his horse to a halt. "Why don't you and Sove look around for a bit while I take care of some business." It was not an offer, but a gentle order.

Sakura nodded, hopping off of Nightingale and handing the reigns over to Kakashi who tied them to his own horse. As Sakura turned around to go look, Kakashi cleared his throat, "And Sakura, stay out of trouble."

_So, what's the plan?_ Sove asked as he padded alongside Sakura.

_No clue. Obviously Kakashi didn't want us following him to where he was heading._

_And you didn't want to tail him?_

_That man seems to know everything. Who knows what would happen if he knew we were behind him._

_Good point._ Sove stuck his tongue out. 

* * *

As they passed through the city, none of the nearby shops seemed very interesting to either traveler 'till they got to a more quiet part of the city. There sat a shop with a odd, leaf-less tree beside it which seemed to be growing from the shop itself. Curiosity took over and Sakura went closer to the shop, and noticed it was filled with herbs and spices used for medicine. Cautiously, she entered the building.

The shop was fairly lit with the light from the windows and a few candles on stands that were scattered here and there. Bookshelves were filled to the brim along almost every wall; Sakura assumed they were books for medicines detailing the cures for ailments and such.

_Can I help you?_ A unfamiliar voice entered Sakura's mind.

"Who's there?" Sakura asked. A cat hopped onto the counter and peered at her with its bright yellow eyes. Its fur was orange with black markings on its back, in a strange yet interesting pattern. Its tail flicked back and forth impatiently. Sove sniffed the air and cocked his head to the side at the animal.

"You?" Sakura asked as she moved closer to the strange cat.

It nodded, as much as a cat could, _If you're here to see Tsunade, she's busy. Although... She might have time for you._

"What are you?" Sakura asked, filled with curiosity. "A werecat!" Sakura exclaimed at the thought.

The cat stared at her with a rather bored expression on its face, still flicking its tail back and forth. "Sorry..." Sakura apologized. "Will you please show me to... Er...-"

_Tsunade._ The animal hopped off of the counter walked away, leading Sakura and Sove to the back of the shop.

There was a small room in the back of the building; if Sakura weren't looking closely enough, she might have walked past it. The cat led them both in to the room. The small room was in a disarray; papers were strewn across the room, interspersed with small, nondescript bottles. A woman - Tsunade, Sakura assumed - was passed out, laying across a desk, with a half-full bottle of gin beside her.

She was snoring obnoxiously loud, but without hesitation, the werecat hopped on her back. She awoke with a start.

"God damn Shizune! I told you to... Er...-" Tsunade stared blankly at Sakura and Sove for a moment and squinted. "Hmmm? What's the idea of this P'haw?"

"I'm sorry, Sove and I were just looking around and... P'haw suggested that we see you." Sakura muttered.

"That's interesting indeed. In all the years P'haw and I have worked together, he was more interested in scaring people instead of bringing them to see me. Yes, this is a treat indeed. Welcome to my shop, Sakura." Tsunade grinned.

"How do you know my name?" Sakura seated herself in the chair across from Tsunade.

"There are lots of things that I know young one." She said as she picked up the gin bottle and took a swig.


	11. A New Future

**Guys I'm sorrrrrrrry for the late updates, and that they're short T_T. It's hard, finals are coming up, summer basketball is preventing me from coming home until 8 at night, homework, and just pressure. The only plus side is I'm making impossible grades in French, been at like a 97 the whole year. Oh well, I'm not complaining.**

Also, this chapter moves a bit, but maybe it's just me, and I hope it's easy to follow, because sometimes my mind is weird like that. Anyways, as always, please leave a review, or ask me something if you don't understand something. Let me know if there's something I need to do to make this better, I'm always open to any criticism, even bad criticism, because it actually helps me see what I'm doing wrong :D.

Thanks for reading! ~Wahyah

* * *

Sakura raised her eyebrow at the seemingly drunk woman.

"You sure it's not the alcohol talking?" Sakura questioned, doing her best to keep the confusion off her face.

Tsunade smirked, "I like you already, you're pretty quick witted."

"I...kind of picked that trait up over the past couple of months."

"I see, especially having Kakashi along with you."

"You know him?"

"Known him for a while."

Sakura was immediately intrigued at this, she had a chance to find out more about the man she had spent the last few weeks with."What can you tell me about him?"

The honey-eyed woman simply chuckled, "If he has yet to say any more to you, I will not do so for him."

Sakura narrowed her eyes, trying to draw the ire of the woman. "By the looks of things, I'd say you're a witch."

Tsunade scoffed, "Ach! I despise that wretched word, but if we must resort to simpleton talk, then yes, I am a witch."

"Then what would you prefer to be called?"

"Just call me Tsunade for now."

"Alright...so, what will you tell me?"

Tsunade grinned slyly, making Sakura feel a little uneasy by the look she was receiving. "I can tell you your future."

_I don't think this is a good idea. _Sove snapped his head to Sakura's direction, a worried look on his face.

_What's the worst that can happen? She takes my soul or something?_

_...She _is_ a witch._ Sove glared.

_I'll be careful, I promise._ Sakura assured.

"What do you charge?" Sakura asked, facing Tsunade once more.

"Nothing at all dear, I never charge for someone in need of help."

"What do you mean by "help"?"

"You'll see. Place your hands on mine, child." Tsunade said as she laid out her palms on the table invitingly.

Sakura hesitated, but she placed her hands on the older woman's.

As soon as she did so, the candle light dimmed and a light breeze went past Sakura.

Chills went down her spine.

"I see a long life, abnormaly long, almost..." Tsuande grinned, "Immortal."

"Can you see any specific details as to why?" Sakura was taken aback.

"No...I see a path that has many crossroads, that you must make choices, and that each choice is drastic in your life. A war is soon to be caused from betrayal and deception so violent that even the darkest of hearts fear losing their lives...Finally, I see a romance, not to be taken lightly, or lest it be revealed."

Sakura suddenly snapped out of her reverie, the candle flaring back up to its full glow.

Sove whined, _I told you this was a bad idea._

"That's all you can tell me?"

"That's all I _will_ tell you my dear. My, you do have an interesting life ahead of you." The honey-eyed woman smiled, this time genuinely.

Sakura shivered. The fortune scared her slightly, the implication of the words chilling.

"Do not be afraid young one. I believe you will make the right choices."

"I need to go." Sakura said abruptly, standing up from her chair.

"I know. Oh, and Sakura..."

Sakura paused at the doorway, looking over her shoulder.

"Don't tell anyone what I have read to you."

* * *

"Ah, there you two are." Kakashi said, stepping into the marketplace Sakura and Sove found themselves in later on.

"Did you find out anything?" Sakura whispered.

"Nothing that can be discussed here. Come along now. It's time for us to move on anyhow." Kakashi handed Sakura the reigns to Nightingale.

"Hello again, Nightingale...you going to be nice to me?"

Nightingale whinnied and shook his head. "Figured as much..." Sakura sighed.

"He seems to like you." Kakashi remarked with a chuckle.

"Oh yeah, it's a match made in the Heavens I tell ya." Sakura sarcastically fired back.

Sakura hopped onto the saddle and followed Kakashi, hurrying to reach him, already halfway down the road.

"Hey!" Sakura yelped as she urged Nightingale to gallop after the spikey-haired man.

Kakashi grinned under his mask and urged his horse to gallop, easily avoiding pedestrians walking the road.

_Oi! I may be a hound, but I'm not always eager to run..._ Sove barked beside Sakura.

Sakura simply looked down with an expression that clearly showed her sarcastic disbelief.

_Okay...maybe I am._ Sove said, sticking his tongue out as he ran.

After a good distance of pushing the horses to run in a full gallop, they slowed their speed down to a walk, pulling alongside each other.

"So... May we talk about what you've found out then?" Sakura inquired.

"Hmm? Ah, yes. It seems we'll be needing to find some more friends of mine. It'll be a long journey to where we need to be headed." Kakashi said, sounding infinitely bored.

"Great, more walking...and sleeping in tents..." Sakura said sarcastically.

Nightingale snorted.

"Oh, sorry, more walking _for you_. Hear that Kakashi? Nightingale is getting mad." Sakura giggled.

"He'll get over it."

_What about me?_ Sove hopped into the conversation.

"Oh yeah, and Sove's poor paws are going to fall off." Sakura said patronizingly as she winked to him.

Sove picked up his right leg and proceeded to limp pathetically.

"If it's that bad, I'll cut off your leg and get rid of the pain."

_I'm good! _Sove said, immediately setting his foot down and walking normally.

Sakura giggled, but her mind drifted to a thought that bothered her all of a sudden. "Kakashi..."

"Hm?"

"Could the zduhaći be a part of why my home was destroyed?"

Kakashi didn't answer for a few minutes as he pondered the question.

After a brief silence he spoke.

"I don't know, but it's a possibility." He answered solemnly.

Sove whined. _Please don't be sad, remember...I feel what you feel._

_Sorry Sove, it was something that needed to be asked._

_We'll find the one responsible for your home, Sak._

"Word is that the _king"_ Kakashi sneered the title, "is in alliance with the zduhaći, somehow working their minds into serving his bidding. As well, I've heard that he's been trying to create creatures of his own, creations of his twisted mind."

"Sounds like a great person, can't wait to meet him." Sakura muttered.

"Oh, he's just the kindest person. We'll be treated with tea and little hors d'œuvres."

After a moment of silence, they both broke into laughter. It helped ease the tension that hung about after their conversation.

The sun was beginning to set, but Sakura didn't bother to ask of their plans; they would likely keep traveling through the night. She feared other creatures that might be out to kill anything they saw in their path, but if they must come across something as terrifying as that, she was sure they could handle it. She _had_ taken down a manticore, and was better at magic and swordsmanship than she had been mere months ago...

She shook her head. Perhaps it was better to not think about the past at all. But what of her friends she had gathered along the way? More importantly...where was her brother? Were Naruto and Kiba okay? Were they lost? In danger? ...Dead?

She growled to herself, _S__top thinking about the worst case scenario.._

_What? I'm not. _Sove looked at her, befuddled.

_Oh, sorry. Forgot I don't have my own thoughts anymore._

_You do, just use your magic to block our link. _

_I don't want to... When I do, I feel like a piece of me is missing._

_Same here. _Sove looked up at her, trotting along still.

* * *

Kakashi, can we please camp somewhere? We've been traveling all night." Sakura pleaded.

"No need to camp anywhere." Kakashi answered.

"How do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Well, we're on the outskirts of a little village with an inn." Kakashi fished out a coin pouch from his pocket and tossed it effortlessly behind him.

Sakura managed to catch it and open the pouch. Her eyes widened at the amount of gold it held. "Kakashi, did you rob someone?" Sakura asked with anger evident.

Kakashi rolled his eyes, "I would never. I've had that money."

"Then why the hell did we not use it every other time we camped dam-"

"Hush. If we went to an inn every time we got tired, I'd be out of money, and we'd have no food."

"Is that all the reasons?" Sakura asked.

"No, there is one more important reason." Kakashi pulled out a rolled up paper.

"What is it?"

"Take it and see." Sakura leaned over Nightingale's head to reach for the paper.

As she unrolled it, her eyes widened again.

It was a wanted poster, reward for her capture.

**_ WANTED  
SAKURA HARUNO FOR THE CRIME OF HIGH TREASON OF THE KING  
REWARD: 50,000 _ **

"Well, at least they put a nice bounty on me..." Sakura joked darkly.

"It's no laughing matter, sakura." Kakashi said.

"I know...bountymen will be looking out for me...I really don't blend in well with long pink hair, do I?"

"There /is/ something we can do for your hair." Kakashi looked over his shoulder, his eye crinkled up in a grin.

"What do you have in mind?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

"Dye it."

"With what?"

"There is a spell that can change your hair color, and it will grow that color as well until you break the spell. Unfortunately, if someone very skilled with magic tries to scan you for magic used to disguise yourself, you'll be captured on the spot. But, that is unlikely enough to take the chance"

"Is there anything else that can go wrong? I'm wanted for treason, my brother is missing, my friends could be dead for all I know, and this damn horse hates me."

"Could always be worse, we could be dead. Besides, Nightingale doesn't seem to mind your company all that much." Kakashi looked forward once again and continued his pace towards a village slowly coming into view.


End file.
